Date:         Thu, 11 Nov 1999 05:00:59 -0800
Reply-To:     "T.P. Stephens" <doktortim@ROCKISLAND.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         "T.P. Stephens" <doktortim@ROCKISLAND.COM>
Subject:      Re: Make your own CD copy
In-Reply-To:  <0.612956db.255bd130@aol.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

At 02:58 AM 11/11/99 EST, you wrote:
>Scan all the copies from all the catalogs, and you have a very high demand
>item.
>
>Of course you will need to get permission from VW to do this.
>

I suggest a writing campainge to VW. The laws associated with plagurism and
copyrights will be in VW's hands without their approval. If they got 20 or
more letters from various listees stating, "I'm going to COPY your
materials and distribute your information 'cause you won't and lots of
people want the info that you won't release.", they just might consider
releasing it. Or maybe they will give a license (for free??? I doubt it.)
to publish. How about a 100 letters?? How many letters will it take before
someone at VW lifts an eyebrow to a perceived opportunity to recoup some of
their investment???

Consider, if you had invested several thousand manhours (engineer type
man/woman hours) to create a product of essential value, would you be upset
to see it being replicated and sold by a pirate???

There are several issues involved. Will VW want to release information that
has a possability to enhance the ability of people to identify and purchase
parts from a mailorder discounter, or a FLAPS, rather than having to go the
the official dealer for both the info and parts??? Will they participate in
an endeavor that will help people to circumvent their opportunities to pay
for their R&D?? We are GAGA about the VALUE of their products. Is it
reasonable to expect to have this value without regard to supporting the
entity that created the value??

Is there on the list an attorney or publishing type who will DONATE their
time in helping to get this project to fruition withour fracturing a law
here and there?? Human efforts are rarely (never?) successful without
mutual recognized value to all concerned parties.

Identify the vaules, identify the market, consider the viewpoints of and
impact to all the affected parties, before you push the copy button. Just
because pushing the button is easy it doesn't necessarily follow that it
should be pushed.


Doktor Tim
Maintenance Repair and Restoration of European Vehicles
San Juan Island, WA